Quickfire psychopathology

• Which approach is used in the discussion of OCD?

  Biological
• What is another term for an electrical impulse?

  Action potential
• what is the gap between one neuron and the next?

  synpatic cleft
• Synaptic transmission:

  1. action potentials travel down axon of pre-synaptic neuron
  2. action potentials trigger release of neurotransmitters from vesicles
  3. neurotransmitters diffuse across synapse and bind to receptors on postsynaptic membrane
  4. stimulation of receptors by neurotransmitters results in either excitation/inhibition of postsynaptic membrane
  5. neurotransmitters reabsorbed into pre-synaptic neuron
• What are the drugs used to treat OCD?

  SSRIs
• What is the role of SSRIs?

  prevent the reabsorption and break down of serotonin in the pre-synaptic neuron to increase serotonin levels in the synapse
• An example of an SSRI?

  Fluoxetine
• What are SSRIs often used alongside?

  CBT
• What is the role of SNRIs?

  Increase serotonin and noradrenaline levels
• Who acts as support for drug therapy by conducting a meta-analysis?

  Soomro
• How many patients had a decline in symptoms after using SSRIs in Soomro's 17 studies?

  70%
• What are some side effects of SSRIs?

  Indigestion and blurred vision (usually temporary)
• What are some side effects of SNRIs?

  Weight gain and tremors experienced by 10% of patients
• Behavioural characteristics of OCD?

  compulsions, avoidance
• Emotional characteristics of OCD?

  anxiety and distress, depression
• Cognitive characteristics of OCD?

  obsessive thought, catastrophic thinking
• what are genetic explanations of OCD?

  Candidate genes, OCD is polygenic
• What are candidate genes?

  Specific gene markers that make people vulnerable to developing OCD
• How many genes may be involve in OCD development?

  230
• Supporting evidence: genetic explanations

  10% 1st degree relatives of affected individuals have OCD compared to 2% of general population
• Genetic explanations not 100% due to environmental risk factors e.g. a traumatic event
• What are the explanations for OCD?

  neural explanations, genetic explanations
• What are the neural explanations for OCD?

  role of serotonin and role of basal ganglia
• Abnormalities could be result of OCD, not a cause

  Neural explanations limitation
• What approach is used during the discussion of depression?

  Cognitive
• Cognitive approach forms the basis of what?

  CBT
• What is disputing?

  The act of questioning/challenging something
• What can disputing be done by?

  empirical or logical argument
• What is the final stage of rational emotive behavioural therapy?

  Behavioural activation
• In behavioural activation the depressed client is encouraged to engage in enjoyable activities
• CBT has what type of benefits?

  long-term benefits
• what does CBT fail to address?

  irrational environments
• What does the cognitive approach suggest depression involves?

  Negative thought patterns and cognitive processes such as schemas
• Beck's 3 components of negative thinking?

  Faulty information processes, negative self-schema, negative triad
• Ellis proposed that good mental health is the result of?

  Rational thinking
• Ellis' ABC model stands for?

  Activating events, belief, consequences
• What does the cognitive approach neglect?

  Biology
• What approach has these key assumptions?

  1. to explain behaviour, we must refer to thought processes
  2. we can make inferences about the mind by observing people's behaviour
  3. depression is the result of faulty thought processes
• What approach is used during the discussion of phobias?

  Behavioural
• What treatment exposes patients to a frightening situation to stop phobic responses by removing the option of avoidance behaviour?

  Flooding